Hello, and welcome to
Sports Mole's live coverage of the
Cricket World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa.
It's taken five-and-a-half weeks for the teams to be whittled down from 14 to four, but we have finally reached the semi-final stage of the Cricket World Cup. Australia and India will do battle in the other fixture in two days time, but first of all, either New Zealand or South Africa will book their spot in the final.
Whoever does make the final of this tournament will also be making history for cricket in their nation. Remarkably, neither New Zealand or South Africa have ever reached a Cricket World Cup final, but today is where that record comes to an end.
TOSS! The toss has already taken place at Eden Park, and it's good news for South Africa fans.
AB de Villiers has won the call and he has elected to bat first. It looks a good batting track, but all is not lost for New Zealand. There is plenty of cloud in Auckland and the ball could swing early doors.
NEW ZEALAND XI: McCullum, Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Elliott, Anderson, Ronchi, Vettori, Henry, Southee, Boult
SOUTH AFRICA XI: Amla, De Kock, Du Plessis, De Villiers, Rossouw, Miller, Duminy, Philander, Steyn, Morkel, Imran Tahir
As you can see from the lineups, it's one change apiece for either side. For New Zealand, Matt Henry has been drafted into the team in place of the injured Adam Milne, while for South Africa, Vernon Philander replaces Kyle Abbott, who is probably a little unfortunate to find himself out of the starting XI.
As far as the weather is concerned, there has been plenty of rain overnight and during the morning but at the moment, the sun is out, accompanied by a fair amount of cloud. Showers are predicted though, so don't be surprised if we have a couple of delays throughout the day. Fingers crossed that they won't last too long.
Tim Southee and Trent Boult will take the new ball for New Zealand but then all eyes will turn to Matt Henry, who has only been called up to the squad in the past 48 hours. It's a big call to put him straight in ahead of Kyle Mills and Mitchell McClenaghan, but the key to New Zealand's run in this competition has been being bold. Will that mentality pay off again today? We will find out over the next hours or so.
The two teams have made their way out onto the field for the national anthems. With the game taking place in Auckland, the crowd is dominated by New Zealand followers but there's still significant support for the Proteas.
Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have taken their place at the crease. It will be Tim Southee to take the new ball and he is bowling with three slips. Game on!
Southee immediately finds a bit of shape, but there doesn't appear to much genuine swing. Amla gets bat on ball during the second part of the over but he can't get anything away. It's a maiden for Southee.
Trent Boult is bang on the money with his first ball, just missing the outside edge of De Kock, before his second ball is edged just out of the reach of Martin Guptill at slip and it races to the boundary. With the penultimate ball of the over, De Kock edges through to Luke Ronchi, but the wicket-keeper can't react fast enough to take the chance and the ball runs to the rope. It was a tough chance, but catchable nonetheless. How important will that be?
South Africa are living dangerously here! Amla miscues a pull straight into the air but the ball just drops out of the reach of Boult, who had made plenty of ground to try to take the opportunity. Amla looks nervous but Southee hands him a full delivery down the leg-side and it is given the treatment to the boundary. The final ball isn't as full, but it's bowled in a similar area and it's flicked to the leg-side boundary.
WICKET! Amla (10) b Boult
Breakthrough for New Zealand! Like he has done all through this tournament, Boult has started his spell accurately and aggressively, and it's forced the error out of Amla, who has diverted the ball onto his own stumps via the inside edge. That's Boult's 20th wicket of the tournament. Faf du Plessis is the next batsman and he does superbly to get a yorker away for four.
Southee's third over passes by without incident, but it's six balls that both teams will probably settle for. South Africa have restored a bit of calmness to proceedings while New Zealand have hauled back the run-rate.
Boult's start to this match has created a bit of fear and apprehension in the South Africa ranks and he gets through his third over for just one run. De Kock is on 13 after 12 balls while Du Plessis has four off 10.
De Kock's innings against Sri Lanka looks to have done him the world of good. He was lucky to survive a hostile start but the left-hander is in control now. Two singles and a wide from the over.
WICKET! De Kock (14) c Southee b Boult
What do I know? Out of nowhere, De Kock advances down the pitch to Boult, which was always going to be dangerous, and a miscue off the opener's bat went straight to Southee at third man. De Kock is distraught. Boult ends the over with a stunner that is simply unplayable. Fortunately for Rilee Roussow, the ball evades the outside edge.
Brendon McCullum makes his first bowling change of the day, introducing Matt Henry for Southee. Three singles come from the start of the over but that's all there is for the Proteas. New Zealand have hauled this back excellently.
Boult continues into his fifth over, and why not? The first three balls pass by without incident before Du Plessis half edges/half cuts the ball down to the third-man boundary. Du Plessis adds another single to end the over to move to 13 off 24 balls.
If Brendon McCullum needed any justification for selecting Matt Henry, he just found it. The pace bowler records a highly impressive maiden, almost snaring the wicket of Du Plessis with his final ball but it just missed the outside edge.
Boult is now bowling to four slips and a gully. McCullum is applying some serious pressure to the South African batsmen. Roussow gets the ball away for three after digging out a yorker before Du Plessis moves to 14 with a single.
More accurate stuff from Henry, who gets through another maiden over. He's conceded three singles in 18 balls, all of which came at the start of his spell.
Boult progresses into his seventh over - you'd have to think that this will be his last of this spell. The left-armer sends down two shorter balls that are both hit for three before Roussow crashes a straight drive down the ground for four. 12 runs come from the over.
Henry's 15-ball run without conceding a run comes to an end but he will be content having allowed the South Africa batsmen just three runs from the over. There are a few angry-looking clouds about. I hope they don't come into play.
It's time for some spin from Daniel Vettori, and he almost catches the outside edge of Faf du Plessis with his first delivery. Three more singles come from the over and it looks as though it's time for drinks. Du Plessis has 22 off 46 while Roussow has 14 off 19.
Henry continues but he resumes after drinks with a wide. There's not much on off for the pace bowler but it's another economical over. Henry has gotten through the first half of his allotted overs for nine runs.
The start of Vettori's second over sees him throw a ball down the leg-side that should still be dealt with by Ronchi but it goes through for four. Bad wicket-keeping. New Zealand's intensity has started to wane just a touch.
South Africa have looked comfortable for the past 30 minutes but Roussow is nearly dismissed when a full delivery from Southee catches the inside edge and just avoids the stumps. Lucky escape.
Much better from Vettori, who restricts South Africa to just the one from the over. The Proteas will be happy with their 20-over total, though. Wickets in hand is the key.
It's been a while since Du Plessis registered a boundary but he is able to advance down the pitch to Southee to lift the ball to just inside the rope for four. That blow also brings up the fifty partnership. Du Plessis repeats the feat off the final ball, crushing a full toss straight past the bowler. He has moved to 34 off 60 balls.
Another three singles come from a Vettori over and he is 0-14 off four overs. South Africa are going along at four runs per over.
This is interesting from McCullum. He has chosen Kane Williamson over
Corey Anderson. The part-time off-spinner should have a wicket though. He strikes Du Plessis's pads but there is barely an appeal or a second look from the umpire. However, when looking back at Hawkeye, everything went their way. That would have been a huge wicket too.
Despite that near miss, South Africa have been knocking the ball about with ease, and this is turning into a significant partnership. Du Plessis has moved to 39 off 68 while Roussow has eased his way to 28 off 45.
Grant Elliott has now entered the action. Still no Corey Anderson. Roussow brings the hundred up with a single before he records the first maximum of the innings with an effortless hit down the ground. We are at the halfway stage and slowly but surely, the platform is being set for
AB de Villiers...
Vettori is bowling solidly enough but he just doesn't look like taking a wicket, and the longer that South Africa keep hitting him for four or five an over, stronger foundations are being set for the final 15 overs. New Zealand need a third wicket.
WICKET! Roussow (39) c Guptill b Anderson
Wowzers. Martin Guptill has taken a scorcher of a catch at gully. Corey Anderson's first ball goes for a wide but he follows that up with the wicket of Roussow after Guptill plucked the ball out of the air with his right hand. It's a stunner.
AB de Villiers immediately sets about being proactive with his innings but he is forced to settle for just a single. It's still early doors, but this match is evenly poised right now.
Boult was warming up but it's Vettori to continue. There's one near miss for the spinner but it's another six runs for South Africa.
Oh, here's Boult. He's already bowled seven so this might be short and sweet from the paceman. He races in looking for his third wicket but Du Plessis and De Villiers are never in danger. Du Plessis is four away from his half-century.
The crowd roar when they think that Vettori has taken a caught and bowled but De Villiers drove the ball into the ground. Just the four singles from the over though. Right now, South Africa are looking at around 270.
FIFTY! It's taken him 85 deliveries but Du Plessis finally brings up his 15th ODI half-century with a safe pull for two. Has reaching that milestone taken the shackles off Du Plessis? He powers a massive six right down the ground and that has changed the mood at Eden Park.
It looks like Vettori will bowl through his 10 overs now, but Du Plessis and De Villiers have upped the tempo several levels now and two boundaries, one for each batsman, help the Proteas to 11 from the over. The run-rate is up to 4.72 per over.
De Villiers looks completely zoned in. He shows all of his class to punch the ball past the bowler for four before taking the more aggressive approach to advance to 26 off 23 deliveries. This could spell trouble for New Zealand.
The second drinks break is done and dusted, and Corey Anderson has been brought back in to try to break another blossoming partnership. He needs to bowl seven of the last 17 overs. The all-rounder drops the ball short a couple of times which are easily crushed to the boundary. Du Plessis has 68 from 94 and De Villiers is already on 33 off 26. Starting to get the feeling that McCullum has made a blunder in using his front-line attack so often before the final 15 overs...
De Villiers takes on a crazy single but somehow, he makes it, just, but the ball missed the stumps anyway. He's jammed his helmet into his face though, causing a brief delay for treatment. A decent over from Henry looks on the cards until de Villiers shows remarkable touch to direct the ball between wide slip and wicket-keeper. De Villiers has 38 off 28. It's powerplay time.
FIFTY! Game changer? Kane Williamson puts down a tough chance to remove De Villiers before the Proteas powers a six and a four off successive balls. De Villiers is all over Anderson, and he brings up his fifty with another powerful blow through the covers.
McCullum has little choice but to bring back Southee, who has four overs to bowl. He draws the error out of De Villiers but fortunately for the South Africa skipper, the ball drops safe. Luck favouring the brave. Just five from the over but that will do South Africa. They will take some stopping if they can post 300.
Is this signs of desperation from McCullum? He needs a wicket but Boult is being brought back on, presumably to bowl his final two overs. The hefty blows have been substituted for the subtle approach for the time being, with De Villiers delightfully cutting the ball to the third man boundary. The final ball of the over is a full toss, and it's Du Plessis's turn to find the rope straight down the ground. The hundred partnership is up in 73 balls.
RAIN STOPS PLAY
It's been overcast for a while and now we finally end up with a shower, which is intensifying by the minute. The break in play might give New Zealand a chance to regroup because the match has started to run away from them in the last 30 minutes.
So then, what have we seen so far? New Zealand started ferociously with the ball, in particular Trent Boult, who strengthened his bid to end the tournament as highest wicket-taker with another two dismissals. Back have come South Africa though, and after Rilee Roussow added a handy 39, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers have proceeded to take the game away from the Black Caps in their own backyard. 270 was being talked about as a decent total, but having amassed 216 with 12 overs still to play, the bare minimum that they will expect from here is 300. 10 per over gets South Africa to 336, which is possible should they keep wickets in hand.
Only showers have been predicted, but the rain appears to have set in for now. We'll keep you posted.
If South Africa's innings was to come to an end at 38 overs, New Zealand would be set a target of 264 via the Duckworth & Lewis route. I'm pretty sure that they are calling for more rain...
News from the middle is that the rain has eased slightly, but not enough to suggest that any resumption of play is imminent. If I was you, I'd go and make a drink.
Great news coming in from Eden Park. The covers are coming off. Hopefully we will be back underway in the next 15 minutes.
Not such great news. The rain has got heavier again and the covers are going back on. Looks like Duckworth & Lewis is going to come into play.
There doesn't appear to be any change with the weather but there seems to be a feeling that we will be back underway insde the next hour. For now, we'll head off for a short break but we'll be back with you for the conclusion of South Africa's innings or the start of New Zealand's reply.
Hi again. We are back just in time for the resumption of play. It's going to be 43 overs per side, so we have five overs to go with South Africa. Game on.
WICKET! Du Plessis (82) c Ronchi b Anderson
We are just two balls into the restart and we already have drama! The umpire calls a wide, but with the feeling of having nothing to lose, McCullum calls for the review, asking for a edge behind to the wicket-keeper. On the first replay, it's clear for all to see that Du Plessis has been caught on the gloves and New Zealand have their fourth wicket. David Miller is the new batsman and he manages to get three runs from his opening two deliveries.
South Africa will want to push to at least 260 here, and two boundaries in as many balls from Miller helps them on their way. The first was a massive shot down the ground but the second was more fortuitous, an edge to the boundary. Miller is swinging at everything, and he adds two more boundaries off the fourth and fifth ball respectively. The final ball is a miscued ball for one, but that's a terrific over for the Proteas.
I should also point out that South Africa's score will be adjusted at the end of their innings. We'll leave those discussions until the conclusion of the 43rd over. You'd have thought De Villiers would be in the thick of the action but this is all David Miller. He starts with a lucky four, but towards the end of the over, he drills two sixes over the rope. The second one was HUGE! He has 38 from 13 balls!
Make that 43 from 15 after he adds a four and a single to get De Villiers back on strike. Southee bowls a valuable dot before De Villiers gets him away for a single. That's fine at this stage. Just seven in total and we have one over remaining.
WICKET! Miller (49) c Ronchi b Anderson
More breath-taking hitting g from Miller, who smashes another maximum for 49 off 17 - he needs a single to equal the World Cup record for a fastest half-century. He can't do it though! He edges through to Ronchi. JP Duminy enters the action and after failing to connect with his first ball, he drives a four over the in-field. A wide provides an extra delivery before Duminy adds two more. He repeats the double with the final ball of the innings to make 281 off 43 overs.
Unbelievably, AB de Villiers barely got on strike during those final five overs. He won't mind too much - he ended unbeaten on 65 after 45 balls and New Zealand have been set a difficult target. The adjusted target is 298 off 43 overs.
There will be just a 10-minute interval. So we will be back at just before 6.25am for New Zealand's reply.
Right then, the players are back out with their mid-innings sandwiches barely digested. You feel that New Zealand's chances probably hinge on these opening 10 overs. It will be Dale Steyn to bowl first.
Steyn almost takes the wicket of Martin Guptill with his first ball but the batsman gets lucky, edging the ball just to the right of the slip cordon. Brendon McCullum loses his shoe after facing his first ball, but his third is absolutely bludgeoned over the extra-cover boundary for six.
Vernon Philander is on at the other end after coming back into the team, and he's well off the pace, allowing McCullum to swing at will to record a six and a four after his first ball had gone for four byes. Philander finally registers two dots but McCullum pulls the final ball to the rope to move to 21 off 10.
Guptill and McCullum mess up an attempted quick single but the fielder misses the stumps with his throw. Guptill was well short. When McCullum gets back on strike, he swats the ball over the in-field for another boundary before taking, this time, a well-judged single.
Philander's first over was that bad he has been replaced by Morne Morkel, but McCullum soon takes a liking to him too, slogging the ball to the long-on boundary. There's not much timing in McCullum's next assault on the leg side but his pull shot has the legs to get to the rope. Morkel is struggling to find any rhythm and Guptill flicks another to the boundary off his pads. This is big-time cricket from the Black Caps.
FIFTY! So far, the South Africa bowling attack has been taken apart and McCullum adds 10 more with sheer brute force, with two massive hits clearing the rope for six and four respectively. A shorter ball from Steyn is then sent into the middle rows of the stand for a 22-ball half-century! The Proteas are capitulating and after giving McCullum the easy task of flicking four more off his pads, Steyn finds a good line but the ball is sent through the covers for another boundary. This is sensational. That over went for 25. McCullum has 59 off 25...
South Africa need wickets and they need them now. Imran Tahir is on in place of Morkel, and he comes close to getting the wicket of Guptill, but after a review, the ball is deemed to be going over the stumps. Much-needed maiden for the Proteas though.
WICKET! McCullum (59) c Steyn b Morkel
The McCullum show comes to an end when he holes out to Dale Steyn, but he has provided his team with the start that they needed. Kane Williamson is in but he can only contribute a single off his first five balls.
Philander is back to replace Imran Tahir. De Villiers is probably hoping that they can get back to their original bowling plans now that McCullum is out. Guptill flicks the ball away for four late in the over, but it's an improved six balls from the pace bowler.
WICKET! Williamson (6) b Morkel
Moments after executing a lovely pull shot to the boundary, Williamson drags the ball onto his own stumps to give Morkel his second wicket. The momentum has swung firmly back in South Africa's direction. New Zealand need 217 off 204 balls.
JP Duminy, who got a hat-trick in the last-eight clash with Sri Lanka, has come into the attack but Ross Taylor capitalises on a wayward delivery to move to five off as many balls. Guptill has 12 off 18 balls.
Taylor looks like he has been licence to try to move the score along at a faster pace than the patient Guptill, and he adds his second four of the innings with a well-timed cut.
Maybe Guptill has been encouraged by Taylor's quick-fire start. The opener plays a huge sweep shot over deep-square leg for a maximum. That brings New Zealand's hundred up in 12 overs. They are on schedule so far, providing that they can keep wickets in hand.
De Villiers appears to be trying to find a place for Philander to get some rhythm after his previous two overs and he responds well after drinks to concede just the three runs. There's been no sign of Steyn since he was taken apart by McCullum.
Imran Tahir returns to try to heap more pressure on Guptill and Taylor but he doesn't offer a threat and the two batsmen are able to add another five to the total.
Philander opens his fourth over with an unplayable delivery that Guptill does well to avoid. That's a sign that the bowler is finding his range and he comes through the over with just a single being conceded.
Tahir hasn't looked like taking a wicket so far but figures of 0-8 from three overs has aided his side's recovery. The required run-rate is up to 6.74 per over.
I may have spoken too soon about Philander. Guptill and Taylor take it in turns to fire the ball to the boundary and 12 runs come from the over.
WICKET! Guptill (39) run out
What has Martin Guptill done?! He calls Ross Taylor through for the single but it was never on and he's a foot short of his ground. Huge breakthrough for South Africa. Grant Elliott is the new batsman and he immediately gets off the mark with a boundary.
Dale Steyn looks as though he is going to record a excellent over on his return, but six runs from his final two balls give New Zealand the momentum from those six balls. The run-rate stands at 6.58 per over.
Imran Tahir was flat by his usual high standards earlier in the innings but he looks to have regained the spring in his step. He gets through a solid over with the loss of just three runs.
Steyn has had to leave the field, meaning that Morne Morkel has come back into the attack. He's soon sent to the fine-leg boundary by Grant Elliott, who moves to 13 off 15. Ross Taylor has put together an extremely composed 30 off 36. He will be key to this run chase.
WICKET! Taylor (31) c De Kock b Duminy
Duminy strikes! It looks like an innocuous delivery but Taylor has flicked it off the top of his pads into the gloves of Quinton de Kock. Corey Anderson is the new batsman and he gets off the mark with a single, but New Zealand now require 6.99 runs per over. That has crept up significantly.
De Villiers loves a bowling change and Philander has returned to replace Morkel. The first three balls pass by without incident before Philander almost catches the inside edge of Anderson, who replies with a crushing four straight back past the bowler.
Just when it appeared that the run-rate was looking likely to escalate, New Zealand hit back with Elliott and Anderson smashing a boundary apiece to move to 19 and 10 respectively. South Africa can't allow these pair too much momentum.
Philander puts together a fine sequence of five balls only to see the last one pulled over the boundary rope by Anderson, who takes his total to 18 off 17 deliveries.
Tahir makes up for Philander's costly over by restricting the New Zealand duo to two runs. This match is still finely poised. New Zealand need to go at 7.29 runs per over.
Philander continues into his eighth over and does a decent job in keeping the over down to three runs. Elliott has 25 off 28 with Anderson supporting well on 18 off 20.
I can't remember too many times where Imran Tahir has come close to taking a wicket but this has been an excellent spell from the spinner. Just four runs from that over means that he has figures of 0-21 off seven overs. The run-rate is up to 7.66 per over.
Despite needing to go at a fair rate, New Zealand seem perfectly content to nudge the ball around for ones and twos to keep the score ticking over and that's good enough to bring up seven off the first five deliveries before Anderson sends a full toss flying over the boundary for a maximum. That takes him to 30 off 27.
That six probably made New Zealand favourites, but Dale Steyn returns to restrict the batsmen to just three. That makes up for the six off Philander's last ball. 99 required from 13 overs, and here comes De Villiers...
It's a big call from the skipper, but he comes up trumps with just four runs being scored by the Black Caps. The run-rate is now approaching eight per over.
What a chance. What. A. Chance. De Villiers does superbly to get to the stumps in the first place, but he makes a complete hash of the run-out attempt, dropping the ball before dislodging the bails with his hands. Anderson was yards from home. A great over, runs-wise, is ruined somewhat by a boundary from Elliott with the final ball. He has moved to 37 off 45.
New Zealand have taken their powerplay, which is reduced to four overs. The next 24 balls could be pivotal. Anderson smashes a drive to the rope off the first delivery but Morkel allows just one more. 85 runs are needed off the final 10 overs. New Zealand are slight favourites, but a wicket would change everything.
Steyn has three overs remaining, and this one goes for six runs, which is a great effort in the powerplay when New Zealand need 8.5 runs per over. It's now up to 8.77. Both Elliott and Anderson are on 40, with this partnership contributing 70 to the total.
Morkel has been South Africa's best bowler today but he gets smashed for six by Elliott off the first ball of the over. Anderson then gets in on the act with a blow over extra cover. De Villiers is living and breathing every ball but he should have done better to prevent the boundary there. 12 from the over and New Zealand are looking good now. 67 required from 48 balls.
Imran Tahir is back into the attack, but a wide gets his over off to a poor start before Anderson hits a four and a single to bring up his half-century off 47 balls. It's been a quality effort and Elliott joins him in passing fifty with a for over the in-field. New Zealand are going to coast home unless South Africa can take two or three wickets. 55 required off 42 balls.
De Villiers resorts to reintroducing himself into the attack and he does well to keep it down to four runs off the first five balls before New Zealand and Anderson are lucky to get a pull shot past the fielder with the ball racing away for four. 47 from 36.
WICKET! Anderson (58) c Du Plessis b Morkel
Boy, was that needed! After an over that sees just one run scored, Anderson goes for the pull off Morkel's final ball, only to sky it miles in the air before Du Plessis takes a nerveless catch. New Zealand are still favourites, but the run-rate is up to 9.20 per over and they have a new batsman in Luke Ronchi.
Since he arrived at the crease, Grant Elliott has provided the calm head that New Zealand have required but he loosens the shackles to pull a short De Villiers ball for six. He has moved to 62 off 60. 36 required from 24.
Imran Tahir does well to keep New Zealand's run-rate ticking up but Luke Ronchi shows his strength to flick the ball over the in-field for four. The Black Caps needed that! A single comes off the last ball and New Zealand need 29 off three overs. They technically need 28 because a tie would see them through after finishing higher in the group stages.
WICKET! Ronchi (8) c Roussow b Steyn
Has the pendulum just swung in South Africa's direction? Ronchi holes out to Roussow on the leg-side boundary and New Zealand are six down. Daniel Vettori is the next man in.
South Africa have a chance to run out Elliott but De Kock fails to pick up Roussow's strong throw with the batsman out of his ground. De Villiers also has an opening to run out Vettori off the final ball but he just misses the stumps. Two chances go a begging. Will they prove decisive? 22 required off 12...
Unbelievably tough luck on South Africa, who looked primed to dismiss Elliott but the ball somehow drops out of the reach of two fielders. Midway through the over and New Zealand need 19 off 9.
Vettori pulls Morkel hard towards the boundary but Steyn makes the save! Excellent fielding. Off the penultimate ball, Elliott crushes the ball to the extra-cover boundary to take it to 14 off seven. Under the pressure, what a shot. The final delivery throws up more drama as Duminy and substitute fielder Behardien collide when looking to catch out Elliott! Disaster. 12 needed off six...
Two runs are scored off the first two balls to leave New Zealand needing 10 off 4, nine for the tie and progression. However, we have a delay as Steyn needs treatment on the thigh or hamstring injury that he picked up earlier in the match.
Vettori edges the ball for four! Six needed from three, five for the tie. New Zealand are almost home...
Vettori fails to connect but he scampers through for a single. Five needed from two, four for the tie.
NEW ZEALAND WIN BY FOUR WICKETS!
There are ways to take your team to their first-ever World Cup final, but Grant Elliott just delivered the perfect moment and made himself a hero in New Zealand cricketing history. Steyn's penultimate ball is of a good length but Elliott smashes a huge, huge six over long-on to win the game for the Black Caps. It's a special moment for his nation.
Elliott ends the innings on 84 runs from 73 balls. Credit to Vettori too, who added seven off six to keep the score ticking over at such a crucial time. Incredible scenes right now at Eden Park. 45,000 people are on their feet.
Commiserations to AB de Villiers and South Africa. Their failure to reach a World Cup final goes on, but they didn't play badly at all in this match. New Zealand's aggressive approach paid off. They hit 299 off 42.5 overs. In the circumstances, that's a phenomenal effort.
That will be all from Sports Mole for this match. Thanks for sticking with us for what has been a gruelling stint since we started nine-and-a-half hours ago! But it was worth it though, wasn't it? We've just witnessed one of the greatest World Cup matches in history. New Zealand go on to face either Australia or India in the final. Goodbye for now.